


What Shy Dreams

by tasteofshapes



Series: Bleach drabbles [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Angst, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, One Shot Collection, When is he ever, byakuya is not impressed, destruction of a 300 year old tree, dumbass energy, ichigo being a dumbass, no trees were actually harmed in the making of this fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-25 03:08:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22008988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tasteofshapes/pseuds/tasteofshapes
Summary: Based on a prompt game on tumblr: give me a ship and a prompt, and I'll write you a scene from an unwritten fic. Here's the Bleach collection.
Relationships: Kuchiki Rukia/Kurosaki Ichigo
Series: Bleach drabbles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1691629
Comments: 14
Kudos: 29





	1. First Comes the Flash

**Author's Note:**

> @justletmebeokay prompted: first came the flash.

First comes the flash, bright and intense. Then slowly, the energy emanating from Ichigo’s hands collates into a small red orb, crackling with energy.

“Good! Now focus, and then fire,” Rukia says from beside him, and Ichigo frowns, hand outstretched, concentrating. A second later, the orb shoots out from his palms and flies wildly across the grounds. It misses the target completely and hits an old oak tree twenty metres away instead.

“Oops,” Ichigo says sheepishly as the tree explodes into a fiery ball of flames, wood splitters flying everywhere.

Rukia tsks at him, but doesn’t look perturbed. It should be easy, this is a basic defense spell, but Ichigo has always had difficulty controlling his reiatsu, much less focusing it. She’s already impressed that he managed to even conjure Shakkaho on his first try.

“Hmm,” a voice says behind them, and they turn to see Byakuya, stone-faced and tapping a finger against his chin.

“I can pay for that,” Ichigo says hurriedly, exchanging a look with Rukia. She grimaces, but doesn’t say anything.

“That was a 300 year old oak tree planted by my father,” Byakuya says dryly. “Rukia, _please_ , conduct your training elsewhere that is not on Kuchiki grounds. I cannot have any more needless destruction of priceless Kuchiki property.”

“Yes, nii-sama,” Rukia says, inclining her head slightly. “My apologies.” 

They wait for Byakuya to sweep away disdainfully before she punches his arm. “Aim better next time, dumbass.”

“Hey, you were the one who suggested training here! I don’t know why we couldn’t just use the Thirteenth Division’s training grounds.”

“ _Because_ ,” Rukia says, as they go over to collect the target dummy, “I was trying to spare you the indignity of having your junior officers watch their Lieutenant fail at basic first year kido.” She mutters a quick kido spell and puts out the bonfire still burning away merrily, leaving a large, charred patch of burnt grass in its wake. 

Ichigo snorts, hefting the target under one arm. “As opposed to sparing me the indignity of having my junior officers laugh at their Lieutenant being forced to wear a Chappy t-shirt to the Shinigami Mens’ Association?”

Rukia laughs. “Hey, a bet’s a bet,” she says smugly. “Don’t play the game if you can’t take the heat. No one likes a sore loser.” They begin walking out, just in time to escape the groundskeeper, who starts wailing when he sees the blackened mess they’ve left on his previously immaculate grounds.

“Remind me to send over a gift,” Ichigo says hurriedly, picking up the pace. He’s not running exactly, but he isn’t strolling either.

“An extravagant one,” Rukia agrees, walking faster as well.

“Flashstep?” Ichigo says, as the wails get louder. Distantly, he thinks he can make out the words, “national treasure”.

“Race you there.” Rukia says, and immediately flashsteps away.

“Cheater,” Ichigo mutters, but follows suit.


	2. Driving Around in a Car

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on a writing prompt game: give me character(s), a letter, and I'll write you a mini-fic. 
> 
> Anon prompted: P, while driving or in/around a car

Rukia has never been inside a car before. This little fact doesn’t stop Ichigo from trying to teach her how to drive. 

“Do you know what you’re doing,” she says, eyeing Ichigo doubtfully as he leans across from the passenger side to grab her seatbelt. “Is this even a good idea?”

Ichigo snorts. “Probably not,” he says, buckling her in, “but driving’s a life skill. Everyone should learn.”

“Right,” Rukia says slowly. “Uh huh. And when do you envision that this life skill will come in handy?”

“It’s just in case of emergencies, jeez. Okay, check your side mirrors, and there’s a button there that lets you adjust them.”

“My what,” Rukia says blankly, making absolutely no move to look at where he’s indicated. “And in what emergency would I ever need to drive? The gates open up anywhere.”

Ichigo sighs, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “Yes, but you know I have problems with the Cleaner. I swear everytime I go through those gates it’s always Cleaning Day. And I don’t want to always be the designated driver every time Uryu and Orihime invite us somewhere.”

“Ah hah! So it’s not because it’s a life skill, you liar!” And Rukia’s so triumphant at catching him out that she actually lets Ichigo show her how to get everything adjusted. Then she spends the next 5 minutes smirking at him and fiddling with the rearview mirror. “I _knew_ you had an ulterior motive,” she keeps saying, and Ichigo rolls his eyes each time.

“Fine!” He says after the third time. “Look, if we get that limited edition Chappy figurine that you’ve been wanting for so long, will you let me teach you?”

_Hah, sucker._ Ichigo goes for the bargaining stage a lot earlier than Rukia expected, but she can sense his desperation, and she’s well prepared to low-ball him. “ _Four_ figurines of my choosing, and I’ll promise that I’ll be road-worthy in two months,” she says, tapping her hand on the steering wheel meaningfully. “And you can’t complain about the price!”

She low-balled him. Ichigo narrows his eyes. At the end of half an hour of furious negotiating, they settle on six figurines, five times when Ichigo has to do something that Rukia chooses without complaining, and Rukia’s personal guarantee that she’ll be road-worthy by the end of the week. Once the deal’s done, Rukia turns the key, lets down the handbrake, shifts the gears and steps on the accelerator.

“Nii-sama made me learn twenty years ago,” she says gleefully, speeding down the small neighbourhood lanes as Ichigo gapes at her, speechless. “He always said it might come in handy one day, and he was right!”


	3. When Words Aren't Enough

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anon prompted: J, when words aren’t enough

When Ichigo wakes up, it’s to a world that he doesn’t recognise anymore. He’s seventeen and he’s saved the world and he’s losing his powers, but none of that matters when he realises that also means that he won’t be able to see her. He doesn’t know what expression crosses his face, but it’s enough to make her pause, just for a moment.

Then:

“Don’t look so sad,” Rukia says lightly, hitting his stomach, “even if you can’t see me, I’ll still be able to see you.” She makes a perverted face at him, waggling her eyebrows in a calculated move to make him smile. 

It doesn’t work. Still, he huffs out his breath in a feeble attempt at a laugh, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “That’s nothing to be happy about,” he says, responding automatically even when his world is fragmenting into a million pieces, because it’s _them_ , and they’ve been bantering since the first time they met, and this is the only way that they know how to make this even slightly better.

She knows she’s beginning to disappear when his eyes get wide. “Later, Rukia,” he says, as if she’s just stepping out for a moment, but there’s a finality in his voice that tears at the both of them. “...thank you.”

And then there’s no time to say anything else because she fades away, and she knows he doesn’t see her anymore when his gaze falls to the floor, his face twisted.

When Ichigo finally lifts his head, she’s gone. There’s only a breeze ruffling his hair, clear blue skies, and the silence of an ocean of unsaid words. 


End file.
